Shoe construction



May 30, 1944. v. M- HECK 2,349,866

SHOE CONSTRUCTIONV Filed June 14, 1943 fffffi'fff i Patented May 30,1944 snor: ooNs'raUc'rioN valentine M. neck, st. Louis, Mo., signor ioInternational Shoe Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of DelawareApplication June 14, 1943, Serial No. 490,717

i 5 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to improvement in shoes.

An object of the invention is to provide a shoe construction whichdispenses with the usual leather outsole and, in substitution therefor,provides a construction that includes in combination with a shoe upper,a fabricated sole that has durable wearing qualities, provides asutilcient protection for the sole of the foot of the wearer, and islight and comfortable when worn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fabricated outsole,having sufficient resiliency and durability, yet. providing suiiicientprotective stiffness when combined with the shoe upper to provide anished and comfortable shoe, and which may be readily applied by acementing process to the insole having a completed shoe upper attachedthereto.

Additional advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a laminated blank that constitutes the base orfiller for the outsole;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same parts;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the outer cover, with the marginalretaining strip, for the bottom surface of the outsole; Fig. 4 is across section taken substantially on the line 4 4 of F13. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the filler or base of the outsole, with theouter cover applied thereto;

Fig. 6 is a cross section substantially on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 'l is a broken plan view enlarged illustrating fragmentarily theparts shown in Fig. 6 in more completed detail;

Fig. 8 is the same element shown in Fig. 5, preformed for application tothe shoe;

Fig. 9 is a view showing the assembly of the outsole with the shoeupper;

Fig. i0 is a cross section substantially on the line l-Il of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing minor modifications of theconstruction of the base or filler for the outsole.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the baseor filler for the outsole is composed of an outer layer I and an innerlayer 2, cut to the contour of an outsole, including the shank portion,and said members l and 2 bingsecured together throughout their matchingsurfaces by an adhesive. The securing means preferably comprises a layerof cement 3 of relatively permanent securing qualities.

The outer layer I of the base or filler of the outsole preferably isformed from a blank of relatively stiff, hard impervious material, forexample, a material known as lailex, which is made of paper or fibrelaminated together with rubber.

'I'he layer 2 is a blank of relatively softer material, such as fibreand follows the general contour of the layer I, except that it is cutsomewhat smaller than the layer I, thereby providing an L-shaped recess4 for a purpose that will be later described.

The outer cover 5 or wearing surface for the outsole is formed from ablank of plastic or similar synthetic material having for ordinary use athickness of approximately 11g". This material is extremely flexible,and has resistance to frictional wear. A fabric marginal strip 6 isattached to the margin of the blank S, the method of attachment beingpreferably accomplished by in-turning the marginal edge of the blank 5and stitching thereto the fabric marginal strip 6 as specificallyillustrated in Fig. 4, by row of stitching 1.

The dimension of the blank 5 is such that it covers the outer surface ofthe blank I and covers the outer margin thereof and the margin of theblank 2. The strip C thereby provides a bottom and edge cover for theoutsole unit of the shoe. The cover 5 is attached to the ller I-2, bystretching the blank over the bottom surface and margin of the blank I,and the strip i over the upper surface of the margin of the blank 2,with the row of stitching 1 seated in the recess l. The strip i iscemented to blank 2, while the blanks are fiat:

After the outsole has been formed as described, the outsole is preformedby any suitable pressing operation to the configuration shown in Fig. 8.This pressing operation serves to tightly stretch the cover member 5, sothat it will lie smooth and close against the member l.

The lasted shoe upper l has the margin of the toe, ball, and shankportion in-turned over the marginal edge of an in-sole 8, to which it isfirmly secured by any suitable cementing process.

The preformed outsole is then securely cemented in place, as illustratedin Fig. 9, with a shank I0 preferably inserted between the insole 5 andthe upper face of the blank 2 of the outsole, and the outsole firmlysecured in place by any of the known cementing operations.

Any form of heel II is applied to complete the shoe. and is attached tothe construction by securing it to the heel section of the insole 9.

Two minor modications of the construction are shown in Fig. l1. It iscontemplated in the construction shown in Fig. 1l, that. instead offorming the L-shapedV margin by cutting the member 2 ot a smallerdimension than the member I. that both pieces may be made of the sameextreme contour and beveled to form the vshaped recess la, in which theseam 1 joining the members 5 and 6 is seated.

From the foregoing description, it will be recognized that aconstruction has been provided that produces from currently availablematerials, and without the necessity of the use of leather, an extremelydurable, neat appearing, and inexpensively constructed sh.

Experimental wear of the shoe has demonstrated that the wearingqualities of a shoe, so constructed. are equal or in excess of a shoeprovided with the usual leather sole of comparable thickness. It is alsoapparent that by forming the blank i of relative hard material, the shoewhen worn will protect the foot of the wearer, as the outer layer o1'the outsole takes the usual im pact of objects experienced in walking,and that by forming the inner blank 2 of the ller for the outsole of asomewhat softer bre material, a cushion eiect for the ball of the footis provided.

Likewise, it will be understood that the outsole may be easily replacedwhen worn, because the worn outsole unit may be readily removed and anew outsole unit cemented in place without damage to the remainingelements of the shoe.

It is, therefore, apparent that the objects of the invention are fullyaccomplished by the provision of combination of elements forming theshoe.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a shoe, the combination with a lasted upper attached to an insole;of an outsole, comprising a libre ller and a. bottom and edge cover forsaid ller, including a relatively thin ilexible plastic sheet material,and a fabric marginal strip attached thereto, said sheet covering thebottom of the tiller and said marginal strip being securely connected tothe upper marginal edge of the ller, and means for se'curing the outsoleto the insole of the lasted upper. A

2. In a'shoe construction, the combination with a lasted upper attachedto an insole; of an outsole comprising separate blanks secured together.the upper one of which is relatively soft in respect to the degree ofhardness of the lower layer, and a bottom and edge cover i'or the iillercomprising a relatively thin iiexible plastic blank dimensioned to coverthe bottom and edge of the ller. said plastic blank having seamedthereto a fabric marginal strip cemented to the marginal edge of theupper blank of the iiller: and means for securing the outsole totheinsole comprising a cement layer.

3. In a shoe construction, the combination with a lasted upper securedto an insole; of an outsole unit attached to said insole, said outsolecomprising a filler including an inner and outer blank. the outer blankbeing formed from relatively stii hard nbre material and the inner blankof relatively soit bre material. said inner blank being inset from themargin of the outer blank thereby forming a recess, and a bottom andedge cover for said tlller including a relatively thin sheet of durableflexible plastic material, and a fabric marginal strip seamed thereto,the parts ,of the outsole being so dimensioned that the marginal stripmay be cemented to the upper marginal edge of the inner blank, and theplastic blank tted against the bottom of said ller, with the seambetween said plastic blank and said marginal strip seatingl in therecess, at the joint between the blanks of the illler.

4. In a shoe construction, an outsole unit adapted to be applied to alasted upper, comprising two blanks contoured i'or the shoe sole andhaving a mitered recess joint at their connecting margins, a cover forsaid ller including a relatively thin plastic sheet formed to cover thebottom of the filler, and a portion of the marginal edge thereof, and afabric marginal strip secured to said plastic sheet by seeming, and saidmarginal strip secured to the upper marginal edge of the filler, and theseam seating in the mitered recess between the ller blanks.

5. In a shoe, the combination'with a lasted upper attached to an insole;of an outsole, comprising a ller formed of relatively rigid materialadapted to resist impact of objects stepped upon by a wearer of theshoe, and a bottom and edge cover for said ller, including a relativelythin flexible plastic sheet material, and a fabric marginal stripattached thereto, said sheet covering the bottom of the ller andsaidmarginal strip being securely connected to the upper marginal edge ofthe illler, and means for securing the outsole to the insole of thelasted upper. ,f

VALENTINE M. HECK.

